I picked this book up at my local Borders because I enjoy historical fiction (light on the history and heavy on the fiction.) This one was not exactlyI picked this book up at my local Borders because I enjoy historical fiction (light on the history and heavy on the fiction.) This one was not exactly what I expected but it was still really enjoyable. I think if I owned a bookstore, I would place it in the romance section. It really was a historical romance. I found it to be a really fun read and now I'm on to the second book in the trilogy: The Courtesan....more

I read this book when I was in high school for and English class. I got more out of it by picking it up again as an adult. The stories are so rich andI read this book when I was in high school for and English class. I got more out of it by picking it up again as an adult. The stories are so rich and involved. When you're reading Kipling you hear the song of the jungle - and you want to be there....more

This is my favorite book. Animals take back the earth and try to extirpate the human race. It makes you look at your dogs and cats in a whole new lighThis is my favorite book. Animals take back the earth and try to extirpate the human race. It makes you look at your dogs and cats in a whole new light!...more

This is the second book in a trilogy by Brian S. Matthews. This one was not as good as his first but I have been eagerly awaiting the third installmenThis is the second book in a trilogy by Brian S. Matthews. This one was not as good as his first but I have been eagerly awaiting the third installment for almost 2 years! I can't wait to see what happens to the characters....more

This was the first book by Jodi Picoult that I read - and if I could, I'd give it 10 stars! It is a wonderfully heartbreaking read about sisters, andThis was the first book by Jodi Picoult that I read - and if I could, I'd give it 10 stars! It is a wonderfully heartbreaking read about sisters, and how far you'll go for your family. Read it with a box of tissues, you'll need them....more

I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first in the series. The language was a bit repetitive. All in all it was a good story though. After bookI didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first in the series. The language was a bit repetitive. All in all it was a good story though. After book one, the story I was most looking forward to was Gregori's story. Now after reading this one, I'm even more excited to find out what happens to him. Unfortunately, I will have to wait for book four. Jacques was a great hero - very tormented but inherently good. This is a really interesting series....more

The imagination and details that go into the Harry Potter series is truly phenomenal! I did not start reading this series until all seven books had beThe imagination and details that go into the Harry Potter series is truly phenomenal! I did not start reading this series until all seven books had been published. It was a good thing too - once I started, I could not put the books down....more

So imaginative! Full of dangerous twists and turns. Rowling stays true to her vision from previous books while at the same time, allowing the characteSo imaginative! Full of dangerous twists and turns. Rowling stays true to her vision from previous books while at the same time, allowing the characters to grow and mature....more

This is the last adventure for Harry and his friends. I dreaded reading this book because I knew it was the end. I think I could have gone on readingThis is the last adventure for Harry and his friends. I dreaded reading this book because I knew it was the end. I think I could have gone on reading about Harry and his kids and his grandkids, etc. for a long time to come. But, Rowling went out on a high note and I was stunned yet satisfied with the conclusion of this brilliant series....more

This book was great but it really feels like a set up to book #7 (not that there's anything wrong with that.) This book has a devestating ending thatThis book was great but it really feels like a set up to book #7 (not that there's anything wrong with that.) This book has a devestating ending that I just did not see coming....more

I read this book for an American Literature class a couple of years ago. I found it to be a breathtakingly beautiful story full of adventure in an AmeI read this book for an American Literature class a couple of years ago. I found it to be a breathtakingly beautiful story full of adventure in an America that no longer exists. The story of Inman and Ada is a moving tale of love and loss set in the South during the Civil War. The characters are quirky but also terribly engaging, leaving the reader in tears almost as often as with a smile. This is an extraordinary read....more

The Hobbit is the story of Bilbo Baggins and his adventures as a burglar on a dangerous mission to the Lonely Mountain with 13 dwarves. The Hobbit isThe Hobbit is the story of Bilbo Baggins and his adventures as a burglar on a dangerous mission to the Lonely Mountain with 13 dwarves. The Hobbit is a charming and fun-to-read story teaching us all to "go our own way" in life (a most important lesson to learn!)...more

This is an amazingly imaginative book. Anita Blake is an intense, power-packed heroine who raises the dead for a living. This fiesty female is also aThis is an amazingly imaginative book. Anita Blake is an intense, power-packed heroine who raises the dead for a living. This fiesty female is also a licensed vampire executioner, working closely with a supernatural police squad - the "Spook Squad." Guilty Pleasures has a fast-paced plot and is filled with intrguing characters : Jean-Claude - a "tall, dark, and handsome" vampire with old-world charm and style; Edward - a tough-as-nails bounty hunter and one of Anita's friends (or is he?); and Veronica (Ronnie) - a private investigator and Anita's best friend and exercise companion. Read this book for a true guilty pleasure....more

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory tells of the rise and fall of the Boleyn girls: older sister Anne, who eventually schemes her way to the thrThe Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory tells of the rise and fall of the Boleyn girls: older sister Anne, who eventually schemes her way to the throne, and younger sister Mary, who is horribly used by her family and then practically cast aside. The story of the terrible competition and sibling rivalry between the two young women is told through the voice of Mary, the other Boleyn girl.

Anne, Mary, and their brother George, are brought to the court of Henry VIII at a very early age, to serve their monarchs and take part in the revelries. Mary, the kinder and gentler Boleyn girl, wins the favor of King Henry when she is barely 14 and already married to one of his courtiers. Within a few years, Mary gives birth to both an inconsequential daughter, and the son Henry has long awaited.

Despite being Henry's favorite, Mary's blissful love of King Henry is doomed. When her clever, scheming sister Anne arrives back at court to "help" Mary, she manages to ensnare Henry and replace Mary as his lover. Anne's gluttony for power knows no bounds, and she soon sets her eyes of the throne, conspiring with her devious relatives to rid Henry of his wife, Katherine of Aragon. Anne is ruthless in her drive to become Queen of England and ultimately is able to connive her way into the throne. Now that Henry has put aside one wife though, Anne must work doubly hard to give him a legitimate male heir, or risk being deposed herself.

This is the second Philippa Gregory book that I have read, the first being Wideacre, which I hated. The Other Boleyn Girl was a much better read, but I still wouldn't say that I loved it. The characters were such terrible human beings! I mostly wanted to throw the book across the room every time I finished a new chapter. Anne Boleyn was a selfish, covetous, wench! And where'd she learn such behavior? From her awful, grasping family! Ugh. Mary was by far, the most sympathetic character in the entire book, followed closely by Katherine of Aragon. Mary was everything her family was not: loving, compassionate, and warm - it's a wonder that she was born into such a callous, merciless family.

The rivalries and intrigues swirling through The Other Boleyn Girl make it a captivating read. Although the Boleyn/Howard struggle for power and influence is clearly central to the story, Gregory also portrays the trifling of the court and the various political and religious conflicts of the day capably and clearly. In The Other Boleyn Girl, Gregory has managed to make what could easily be an extremely complicated set of characters and circumstances, into a rich and rewarding read.

After reading the first book in the series I wasn't sure I'd be all that engaged in Gabrielle's story. I was wrong! I enjoyed this book as much as TheAfter reading the first book in the series I wasn't sure I'd be all that engaged in Gabrielle's story. I was wrong! I enjoyed this book as much as The Dark Queen and I was happy to see a little of Ariane and Miri in the book as well. I can't wait to start The Silver Rose (Miri's story) and find out what happens to the youngest of the Cheney sisters....more

Finally, the book that's given me nothing but heartache (in a good way,) Dark Magic by Christine Feehan. I have been anxious to read this one since IFinally, the book that's given me nothing but heartache (in a good way,) Dark Magic by Christine Feehan. I have been anxious to read this one since I began the series back at the beginning of the year. This is the fourth book in Feehan's Dark Carpathian series, and the (long awaited) story of Gregori and Savannah.

Savannah is the daughter of Mikhail, the prince of the Carpathians, and his lifemate Raven (for their amazing story see the first book in the series, Dark Prince.) When she learned of her destiny, Savannah fled the safety of her home in the Carpathian Mountains and traveled to America where she became a world-famous magician capable of mesmerizing illusions.

Gregori, the dark one, the name whispered by Carpathians and vampires alike, is destined to be Savannah's lifemate. He is the legendary hunter of their people and an extraordinary healer. The most powerful of all Carpathians, Gregori is a hard man. He has suffered more than any other Carpathian for he is called upon to dispense justice and all of that killing has taken a terrible toll. His own people fear him and the immense power he possesses.

Savannah was born to be Gregori's lifemate, a terrifying thought for one so young. More than anything, Savannah desires her own independence and the freedom of her own choices. Gregori has given Savannah five years of much needed freedom, but at what cost to his very soul? He has lived for centuries, and without his lifemate, the light to his darkness, he will become a most dangerous monster.

Now the vow he has made to her is at an end and so is his control. He is very close to turning and is now unable to seek the dawn to kill himself. He knows how incredibly powerful he is; knows that there is no one who could defeat him. Not Mikhail, Aidan or even Julian could hope to destroy him. He knows that if he turns, he will tear the world apart. Gregori can no longer trust himself and seizes Savannah. But it is too late?

Having her presence near him sends him toppling over the edge. The struggle between the man who has struggled with insurmountable darkness for endless centuries, and his beast is truly amazing. Savannah merges her mind with his and "feels" the suffering he has endured for her. For the first time, she understands Gregori's plight. The five years of freedom he has given her have been horrible for him to endure. She recognizes that it is her fear and young age that have brought so powerful a man to such a pitiful, horrible state, and she is consumed with guilt. She reaches out to him despite her fear and in her total acceptance of him, he finds control over the beast.

Together, they must learn to live in each other's worlds. Gregori must "allow" (as he so presumptuously puts it) Savannah freedom to walk among mortals and to make her own choices, and Savannah must learn that Gregori only wants what is best for the two of them (even if he has a somewhat pushy way of showing it!)

This was a great story and I am looking forward to book #5, Dark Challenge....more

The is the final book in the Cheney sisters trilogy. Miri's story was great. I wish the author would have brought the other sisters into this one thouThe is the final book in the Cheney sisters trilogy. Miri's story was great. I wish the author would have brought the other sisters into this one though. I thought I knew who the Silver Rose was at the beginning of the book but, the author threw me a curve ball. Excellent romance/historical fiction!...more

The fourth novel in Susan Carroll's splendid series about the Wise Women of Faire Isle, The Huntress is in my opinion the best so far. Use caution howThe fourth novel in Susan Carroll's splendid series about the Wise Women of Faire Isle, The Huntress is in my opinion the best so far. Use caution however because it will not really stand on its own; you need to read the Cheney Sisters trilogy first.

Catriona O'Hanlon, a fiery Irishwoman and true daughter of the earth, serves Ariane, the gentle Lady of Faire Isle. When news reaches them on their secluded island that the coven of the Silver Rose is being resurrected, Airane sends Cat to London to locate Martin le Loup and his young daughter, and to bring them back to Faire Isle.

Cat is a free-spirited and refreshing heroine. She is able to wield a sword and shoot a bow with the best of men. She always speaks her mind and can be quite cantankerous at times, but all of her bluster hides a vulnerability and insecurity that she carries inside due to the her cruel treatment at the hands of her clan back in Ireland.

Since the end of The Silver Rose, Martin le Loup has grown into a doting and protective father for his little Meggie. They fled to England in hopes of escaping the coven of the Silver Rose, and Martin has grown very cautious about anything magical. Lamentably, he has decided that he will make young Meg into an proper English lady and has forbidden her to use any of the mystical arts she learned from her mother. He has ensconced himself in English society and is working by day as an actor and by night as an agent for Queen Elizabeth's spymaster Sir Francis Walshingham.

Meg is tortured by the things her mother and the coven of the Silver Rose did in her name back in France. She is confused and fearful of her natural abilities and the knowledge she gained from translating "The Book Of Shadows." She loves her father fiercely and would do just about anything for him, even if it means learning to do needlepoint and playing the lute.

Of course the Dark Queen, Catherine de Medici, is still searching for "The Book of Shadows" and has dispatched yet another witch hunter to London to find the Silver Rose and the infamous book and return them to her palace in France. And if the threat of "That Italian Woman" wasn't bad enough, the coven of the Silver Rose has found Martin and Meg in London as well, and are very close to achieving their own goal of kidnapping the girl and harnessing the power of "The Book of Shadows."

The historical fact and fiction are combined flawlessly in this book (as always in a book by Susan Carroll.) I was thrilled that she wrote this one as a continuation of the Cheney Sisters trilogy. It has been my pleasure to read these quality books of historical fiction. Unfortunately, I have to put Susan Carroll on an ever-growing list of authors that can't keep up with my demand for new reading! The next book in the series (I think) is "The Twilight of a Queen" which is not due out until May of next year. I guess I can wait though. My to-read list is still a mile long and I know I'll find something to occupy my time....more

The world J.R.R. Tolkien has created is simply breathtaking. It was hard to say goodbye to Middle-Earth once I'd finished the trilogy, but I know I'llThe world J.R.R. Tolkien has created is simply breathtaking. It was hard to say goodbye to Middle-Earth once I'd finished the trilogy, but I know I'll be back again someday....more